When does a chip become a French fry?

[purplepoppy]

No one ever asks for fish and French fries. But you never get a big mac and chips at macDonald's. To complicate things you get burger and chips as a pub. French fries are skinnier and crisper, but some chips are crispy too. And I definitely know when I've ordered chips off a menu they've fobbed me off with French fries

So where is the line crossed? Where does a French fry become a chip? When you look at a plate how do you decide what to call them

[Lliam]

Both photos are fries. They might be thick, thin, crinkle-cut, or curly, but they are still fried potatoes and Americans call them French fries or fries for short.

Chips refer to thin, crispy snacks like potato chips that come in bags. British call them crisps.

The only time Americans refer to French fries as chips is when they order fish and chips. The term rolls off the tongue easier than fish and French fries.

People think fish and chips sounds English and is Britain's national dish. When they order fish and chips, they feel all cosmopolitan, as if they are ordering ethnic food.

[MrOracle]

I will cosign this post - that's pretty much exactly how it is here.

[Chazmatazz269]

They’re all fries in the US. There’s another version called “home fries” too. It’s about the laziest way to prepare a potato. Perfectly American! Ell oh ell!

Then there are waffle fries, which are definitely more like American “chips” than fries. I’ve met a few folks from the UK here in the states. I’ve shared meals with a couple of them and they carefully asked a myriad of questions about their potatoes before ordering. I imagine i’d have to do the same over yonder, or avoid fried taters altogether. Ell oh ell! I do luv me some bangers and mash!

[FreyaRed]

I think there is a story from WWI when US soldiers started to call Belgian Pommes-Frites French Fries just barbecue most Belgians speak french. The term Chips isn't common among other European languages with exception of UK. I think Brits rejected the name fries or frites just because I comes from French langue.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

They’re called Pommes in Deutsch, too. Funny how pomme means apple, I reckon.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

They're both the same, just different cuts of fries.

[Ill_made_Knight]

Yeah so chips are the twice fried fluffy inside slightly crisp out, but the fast food and restaurant fries come in all sorts of variants of thickness from the Wendy's schizophrenic, sort of thick, but not as much as chips to skin on steak fries and seasoned curly ones... how about sweet potato fries? seems the only sort that qualify as chips are chip shop chips. American fast food doesn't really do those.

[RavVid]

I order chips at macDonalds.

To further compound the problem there are fat chips and wedges too. I prefer whats in the left hand pic most. Whats in the right hand pic can also be called shoestring fries.

I just insist on calling them all chips.

[Bricealan]

I see BOTH as French Fries. When I go to Carl's Junior, (Rarely) the fries, look more like the ones in the first container. Have not been to a 'fish-n-chips restaurant in many moons, so I see anything that is french fried potato, I call it "French Fries" ?

[churbleburble78]

Fish and Chips became popular in England, thanks to the industrial revolution and the rail network. I have seen a Victorian shop sign, and it said:

W. BATES
Fish Fryer
Chipped Potatoes

That's where "chips" comes from - they are the thick sort (Americans might call them "steak fries"

French Fries are thin

Crisps (UK) vs Chips (US) aka Potato Chips are cold snacks, rather than hot food

[Pudsmucker]

I find that where I live here in the United States. It's what you order at specific restaurants. If I want fish I will ask for chips. If I ask for a burger I will get fries. If I order a steak it will be planks. If I order eggs it'll be home style potatoes.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

I dunno why them Yankees call chips French fries, but the combination of fish and chips probably was thought of OUTSIDE the damn Yankeeland. Most countries that speak English call chips chips, 🍟; and these thin fried crisps crisps. ‘French’ fries actually came from Belgium, so Yankees should just call them Belgian chips/fries.

[AviatorTom]

On the west side of the Atlantic, both of them are French Fries, while on the East side of the Atlantic, they are both chips.

[Curmudgeon]

This is one of those Britishisms vs. Americanisms. There actually are places in the USA that do serve thicker and more stubby fries of that nature.

[LiamSawyer]

They are both chops or fries it is just different terminology used in different places for the same thing the chunkier ones just look more like hand cut fries.

[bean2k21]

Another misnomer of the English language. There are no fries cooked in France. They're cooked in Greece.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

ain’t it Belgium?

[LiamJHayden]

I've seen the ones on the left called chips, steak fries, and thick cut fries depending upon where I go. So, not sure of anything expect I've never seen the ones on the right called anything other than fries/French fries.

[LiamJHayden]

except not expect. Dang site is making me illiterate.

[Msputiton]

Lmao when they go from England to America 🥴

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Regional dialects can be a bitch to understand at times

[Astarlessnightsky]

By traveling.

Its same thing just different regions use different words.

[Anonymous]

When it stops being spoken by a limey. Both of those pics are French fries. The right are shoestring French fries aptly named by thier thin shoestring appearance and the left are called steak fries.

[Iron_Man]

I don’t know why they call them chips in London England chips to me, represent potato chips french fries represent french fries 🍟

[Amy55022]

McDonald's french fries need to be commercialized and look good and easy to process. The home version is more authentic and delicious without so many additives

[Surely]

That is a great question. Maybe ask the chicken that crossed the road what they think 🤔!

[HippieVeganJewslim]

He crossed the road to escape the animal slaughterhouse, AKA Auschwitz.

[In_Trance]

I'm guessing somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

[Anonymous]

A chip is never a french fry…

chips are in a bag and flavoured.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

any damn Yankee would say that!

[Opinion Owner]

@HippieVeganJewslim or any Western civilized world

[HippieVeganJewslim]

Western? Bloody Hell! What about eastern, northern, or southern? People call them chips all over the world!

[Opinion Owner]

@HippieVeganJewslim people call fries ‘chips’ in United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand… not really all over the world.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

Eight countries compared to one so-called country. Many other countries even call their own names, like Pommes in Deutsch. Oy vey iz mir! I’ve seen crisps in a bag and flavoured. Do you mean crisps when you say chips?

[Makeushiver]

At customes at JFK. Back to a chip at Heathrow

[Andres77]

Somewhere over the Atlantic

[Pete671]

It's the method of cooking,,,

[joeldalton]

Those are both fries.

[Twalli]

In the US, chips are what you call crisps

[wafflemakerman69]

we call all our taters over here chips

[jimmy2]

When you fry them